Leopold Canal

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The Leopold Canal is a canal in northern Belgium. Construction occurred between 1847 and 1850 after the Belgian government granted permission in 1846. It runs about 40 km (25 miles) westward from Boekhoute to Heist-aan-Zee just south of the Dutch border. It is between 1.2 and 2.3m deep. The idea was put forward by canon Andries to prevent the Dutch from blocking the discharge of water and inundating the Meetjesland after Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. It is claimed to have drained 36000 ha of arable land.^{[citation needed]} This canal was a major line of German resistance during the Battle of the Scheldt in World War II.